This invention relates generally to lifting devices for use with seating apparatus and, more particularly, to a novel universal lifting and tilting frame to which the bottom of a conventional chair, recliner or lounger is readily attachable so as to provide that conventional chair with a lifting and tilting feature.
In the past chairs of various types have been provided with mechanisms by which the seat of the chair and its occupant may be slightly raised and lowered and tilted forward and back to assist the occupant, for example an elderly or handicapped person in getting in and out of the chair. Those mechanisms have traditionally formed an integral part of the chair construction as exemplified by the units illustrated in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,007,960, 4,083,599, and 4,852,939. Those chair assemblies are costly and thus are quite often unavailable to persons who need the lift and tilt feature the most.
There is a need in the marketplace for a separate lift frame assembly which can be readily attached to the understructure of a conventional chair, recliner or lounger that would enable a person to provide his favorite chair with a lift and tilt capacity. The frame assembly must be attachable in quick and easy fashion and must be available at a cost which is significantly less than the cost of a new chair having a totally integrated lift and tilt mechanism. Others have proposed separate and independent elevator and lift mechanisms for use with chairs of various types and typical of those prior proposals are the devices illustrated in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,888,463, 4,772,164, 4,786,107 and 4,850,645. However none of these proposals has satisfied the specific demand of the marketplace and a need remains for a universal lift frame of simple construction which is readily adaptable for use with a wide variety of chairs and may be manufactured and marketed at a very reasonable cost.